Final before the final

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark is frustrated after conceding a point during her Australian Open quarterfinal loss to Belgium's Kim Clijsters in Melbourne yesterday. Photo: AFP

A dominating win by Roger Federer in his 1,000th career match and a more testing workout for Rafael Nadal have set up a rare Grand Slam marquee semifinal between the former No. 1-ranked players.
Four-time Australian Open champion Federer advanced to his ninth straight semifinal at Melbourne Park with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 quarterfinal win Tuesday over Juan Martin del Potro, the man who beat him for the US Open title in 2009.
In an often tempestuous night match at Rod Laver Arena, Nadal advanced with a tough 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-3 win over Tomas Berdych.
"Happy with how I finished match physically, I was able to keep running with high intensity," Nadal said.
Federer and Nadal -- they were ranked 1-2 for many years -- have been on opposite halves of the draw since the 2005 French Open. That was the last time the pair met in a Grand Slam semifinal, won that year by Nadal in four sets.
Defending women's champion Kim Clijsters, still dealing with a left ankle injury, advanced to an Australian Open semifinal against third-seeded Victoria Azarenka by beating No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 7-6 (4) Tuesday. Clijsters's victory ensured that Wozniacki would lose the top ranking she has held for most of the last 15 months.
Azarenka beat No. 8 Agnieszka Radwanska 6-7 (0), 6-0, 6-2. Azarenka is one of three women who could finish at No. 1 in Melbourne -- Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova are the others.
The quarterfinals on the other side of the men's draw are on Wednesday -- Andy Murray plays Kei Nishikori of Japan and top-seeded Novak Djokovic takes on David Ferrer.
In the remaining women's quarterfinals Wednesday, Sharapova plays Ekaterina Makarova, who beat five-time champion Serena Williams in the fourth round, and No. 2 Kvitova takes on unseeded Sara Errani of Italy.